Over recent months I have been reporting in my newsletter, Darts History, on aspects on The People Lord Lonsdale Team Challenge.
Despite The People having withdrawn its sponsorship after the 1961-1962 season final, teams still fought for the prestigious (and very large) Lord Lonsdale trophy up until the end of the 1980/1981 season.
The last finals were played for the last time, at Fort Dunlop, Holly Lane, Birmingham, on Saturday 9th May 1981, ‘men on the mark’ at 1 p.m.
The title was won for the first time by a Scottish team from the Alhambra Bar, Bellshill, nr. Motherwell. The photograph above (courtesy of Darts World) shows the team celebrating on the night. Top row, left to right: Drew O’Neil, Campbell Adams, ‘unknown,’ John Ross, James Canavan, Wullie McGloan. Bottom row, left to right: Charlie Fox, Jim Penman, Jackie Crozier. and David McQueen. The ‘unknown’ gentleman in the back row, hidden by James Canavan’s hand, is probably H. H. Parsons, Chairman of the National Darts Association of Great Britain (NDAGB), who presented the trophies and prizes on the day.
Although there was no detailed report of the Finals in Darts World in the June issue, which was surprising, a short report appeared three months after the event in August 1981 (issue #105), under the section ‘Scottish News,’ which celebrated the victory:
The massive Lord Lonsdale trophy, valued at over £7,000, went north for the first time thanks to the darts talents of these lads (see above) from the Alhambra Bar, Bellshill, Lanarkshire who beat nine top teams to win the National Team Championships at Fort Dunlop, Birmingham.
The team had already won the Wishaw and the Bellshill League Championships. In the national final they had a 4-3 scoreline against the Midlands champions from the Royal Hotel, Sedgley. The trophy is reputed to hold 27 bottles of whiskey.
Calling the tournament, erroneously, ‘the British Darts Championship Cup,’ a reporter for the provincial Evening News named the eight-man team and the team manager Jackie Crozier. As well as the trophy, the team also picked up £1,000 in prize money.
The reporter stated that ‘the cup is insured for £7,500’ and reputably capable of holding 27 bottles of whisky. During Monday evening’s celebrations at the pub the manageress, Mary Bellingham, proved that the capacity claim was correct, by pouring that number of bottles into it.
In the above photo, the men shown are Donald Bellingham (the bar owner’s son) who did not play but ‘was there for the photographs,’ Jim Penman, Jim Canavan, Campbell Adams and Drew O’Neill. © Evening News. Neil Campbell Adams told me later that during that season, “we won the Lanarkshire team trophy, Scottish team trophy, and the Lonsdale cup all in space of three months.”
After 1981 the tournament was discontinued. My publication of stories about the Lord Lonsdale trophy winners (and runners-up) generated a number of enquiries asking the same question, “What happened to the Lord Lonsdale trophy?”
Well, unlike the News of the World cup, which is safe and securely stored in London together with the short-lived ladies’ tournament trophy, I am sad to report to all darts fans that the Lord Lonsdale trophy is no more. In 1981 it was ‘lost.’
To explain, I present for the first time, an extract from my forthcoming (eventually I hope) book, ‘The Sport of Pints,’ in which I reveal the trophy’s fate:
‘…the National Team Darts Championship had continued to be held, organised, and financed by the NDAGB until the 1980-81 season. It is perhaps ironic that the first year that money was offered, the champions should be a team from Scotland.
The team, representing the Alhambra Bar, Bellshill, near Motherwell, comprised Drew O’Neill, Neil Campbell Adams, James Penman, Willie McGloan, Charles Fox and David McQueen, beat the team from the Royal Hotel, Sedgley, nr. Wolverhampton.
Thereafter it was the popular belief that the prestigious Lord Lonsdale trophy was placed into the care of the Scottish Darts Association (SDA) for safekeeping but this was not the case. The last team to win the title, the Alhambra Bar, retained the trophy on the premises as was standard procedure. However, just before Christmas, the bar was burgled and, not surprisingly, the trophy was amongst the items stolen. The Lord Lonsdale trophy was never seen again. I am certain that it was stolen in 1981 as the NDAGB would have asked for its return during 1982.
It was undoubtedly melted down: a totally, unexpected, unsuitable, and undignified end for a trophy that had not only survived The Blitz but also given so much pleasure to so many dart players and fans alike since 1939.’
After I mentioned the Alhambra’s win in Darts History, I never expected one of the actual members of the winning Alhambra team to contact me. Neil Campbell Adams, a former Scotland international, and the 1977 News of the World Scotland Divisional Champion, (pictured) (Image © News of the World used with permission.) emailed me and confirm the fate of the trophy. Neil told me
“This was one of the last photographs of the trophy, [above] 1981 I think was when we won that and other team trophies that year. However, it wasn’t long before I received a call from Mary Bellingham, the owner of the Alhambra Bar, that her bar had been robbed sometime after closing time and the trophy was stolen.
I was worried that we might be fined by the NDAGB but that never happened, so there we were, the last winners, and we lose it. Maybe somebody close to the team might know something. I can tell you that when I phoned the NDAGB, I got a lot of stick from them (which I thought was deserved), the comment that hit hard was “the trophy survived a depression and a World War and on its first trip outside England we lose it. Well, that’s Scotland for you!” It must have been melted for its silver content or it may have been a revenge robbery who knows. Someone does.”
And that’s the sad end of the Lord Lonsdale Challenge trophy.
(Note: As mentioned above, Neil Campbell Adams, won his way to Alexandra Palace, the ‘Ally Pally’, in London, in the 1976/77 season, as the Scotland Divisional Champion. The Grand Finals took place on Saturday 30th April 1977. Neil met England’s John Lowe in the first round and ‘Old Stoneface’ beat him 2-0.)
Patrick Chaplin
Posted 7th October 2023
Dr Patrick Chaplin 
my wife’s grandfather won this trophy in 1950 with the black horse from ilford and I have programs for the day but was wondering if you have any other information on it thanks
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